Categories

Questions and Answers

Application

How do I put Shaft Skinz on?

The sleeves are thin tubes of pre-printed shrinkable plastic. The sleeves slide over the grip, are shrunk to fit before any excess material is trimmed away. You'll need a strong hair dryer (not a heat gun) to shrink the sleeve material so it hugs the shaft tightly.

Do grips have to be removed to apply a Shaft Skinz sleeve?

No! That’s the beauty of them. They slip over most (standard and mid size) grips before shrinking.

Will the sleeves definitely fit over my grips?

That depends. There are a wide variety of grips out there. Shaft Skinz definitely fit over standard and mid size grips and most normal putter grips. There an increasing number of ‘chunky’ grips that Shaft Skinz may not fit over. In that instance Shaft Skinz would have to be installed/fitted at the point of re-gripping.

Yes! Shaft Skinz can go on any shaft type, even around the bends in putter shafts. However, note the points about 'removal' below...

Are the ‘Skinz’ long enough for my driver?

Yes - Shaft Skinz have been lengthened to fit all clubs from putters to drivers.

A slight stretching technique may be needed to make the sleeve comfortably fit. Simply shrink the first 6 inches or so as normal. Then, turn the club upside down placing the butt end of the grip on a bench or work surface and apply tension to the sleeve manually. The force required is only slightly more than is needed to keep the material taught. This should be sufficient to make the sleeve material streetch comfortably to fit the driver.

Can I use a ‘heat gun’?

No. These get so hot they have a tendency to melt the material.

Having said that, some very advanced ones with 6 or 7 heat settings may have a low setting that might work. There is still a risk though.

Removal

How easy are Shaft Skinz to remove?

Very. The ‘Skinz’ do not adhere to the shaft (i.e. there is no glue) they simply cling on tightly. It can take just a few seconds to remove a Shaft Skinz sleeve using the right technique.

Using a very sharp knife, locate the tip just under the end of the sleeve above the hosel or ferrule. Lay the blade almost flat on it's bevelled edge (not so steep as to present the sharp edge to the shaft). Angle the tail end of the knife back away from the shaft so the tip leads. Using your finger as a guide maintain the angle that allows the blade to slice through the sleeve with minimal effort. The sleeve will then lift right off.

If in doubt or concerned about damaging the shaft make a small cut at one end by cutting away from the shaft. Then peel the sleeve off, cutting as necessary.

Design

Do you make plain colors?

Not yet - We have been asked this often. At the moment we are concentrating on some more 'interesting' designs for those of you who want to make a big statement. in time we will introduce plainer sleeve designs. If you feel strongly about the designs you want to see produced, let us know - click here to have your say.

Can I get my own custom design?

Only in really large quantities (thousands).

Sadly, the process to make these sleeves requires several printing plates (for each design) to print the sleeves. This is a significant cost up front. It makes it impossible to get small quantities of product without charging you a crazy price.

If you require several thousands of a particular design it may be feasible. Contact us by e-mailing us at sales@shaftskinz.com for more information. Also, see the technical point about distortion under ‘Why aren’t you making plain designs?’ in the technical section below.

Technical

What is the shaft ‘skin’ made of and how does it work?

The material is PET (Polyethylene terephthalate if you want to get technical!) which is printed flat and seamed into a tubular sleeve. These sleeves are called ‘shrink sleeves’ and can be used to decorate a variety of items.

The material is activated by heat and has a tendency to shrink in one direction (inwards, or transversely, in this case). When heated with a strong hairdryer the material tries to shrink to form a smaller diameter tube. In doing so it takes the form of the item underneath and creates a smooth finish because it is trying to continue shrinking (smaller than the shaft) which pulls itself tight and smooth.

What is the weight of a sleeve?

A full sleeve weighs around 3-4g depending on the length of the shaft you are sleeving and how much material is trimmed away. Does the sleeve affect the way the shaft plays? We had Shaft Skinz independently tested using a recognised shaft analysis machine (used by around 75% of tour pros). This showed there to be a negligible difference between the stiffness of the shaft before and after sleeving (just 0.005%). We are told that this difference ‘is like the difference between your 5 and 6 iron.’

Can I play with Shaft Skinz in competitions?

Yes! - Shaft Skinz conform to the USGA and R&A ‘Rules of Golf’ so can be used in all levels of play from juniors to professional in all parts of the world. So just how long are the sleeves? Before heating, our new sleeves are around 765mm (about 31") long. You simply trim them to the length of the shaft you are ‘Skinning’. They will stretch by about 10% during application making them fit a driver (visible shaft length around 830mm or 32.5"). How long will the sleeves last That depends on how you treat them.

They are designed to offer your shafts protection by bearing the brunt of any knocks or scrapes they take during normal use. If you are careful when placing your clubs in and taking them out of your bag the sleeves will last much longer. If you place them into individual tubes there's no reason why they couldn't last for seasons.

Normal clashing of the shafts against one another will only result in mild scuffing. This may become visible as a slight dulling of the glossiness of the material and is dependent on the amount of usage your clubs get. That said, through ‘forceful’ placing in and removal from the bag you may find they start to show signs of wear around the steps in the shaft. When they start to look tatty, it's time to invest in a new look so as to continue providing the best protection for your shafts.

Forcing your clubs down into your bag risks damaging the sleeves.

Why don't you make plain color designs?

The technology lends itself best to ‘noisier’ designs. As the sleeve material shrinks, color intensifies slightly due to the concentration of the ink into a smaller area. Due to the variation and distortion in the shrink process, a totally flat design may show this concentration so we’re steering clear of these at the moment.

Distortion also makes producing logos accurately too unpredictable.

Purchasing

Can I distribute Shaft Skinz?

We are very keen to discuss distribution opportunities with suitable partners in countries all over the world. If you are in a position to present Shaft Skinz directly to the golf trade and market the products to golfers in your country we would welcome hearing from you. Complete the contact form on our Contact Us page.